Plasma catecholamine and haemodynamic responses to surgical endodontic anaesthetic protocols

Efficacy of infiltrative local anesthesia and inferior alveolar nerve block in periapical surgery of lower premolars and molars: A preliminary report

Background

The aims of this study were: 1) compare the amount of anesthesia used with the anesthetic technique; 2) relate the quantity of anesthesia needed with the level of anxiety of the patient; 3) study the relationship between the anesthetic technique and the level of hemostasis; 4) correlate the amount of anesthesia with patient and tooth dependent variables.

Material and Methods

A randomized controlled trial was designed with two parallel groups according to the anesthetic technique: infiltrative local anesthesia (infiltrative group) and inferior alveolar nerve block (block group). The following variables were collected: sex, age, smoking habits, plaque index, symptoms, signs, position of the tooth and amount of anesthesia. Before surgery, all patients were asked to assess their anxiety on a six-item questionnaire, the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS). The analysis of the hemorrhage control of aluminum chloride was judged by the surgeon and two examiners independently and recorded it as: 0 (no hemorrhage control), 1 (slight but apparent intermittent bleeding persisted after application of the material), or 2 (complete hemorrhage control).

Results

Twenty patients were included in this preliminary report. The amount of anesthesia used was lower in block group and in less anxious patients, although these results did not reach statistical significance. A relationship was found between the quantity of anesthesia used and a good hemostasis of the bony crypt before the application of the hemostatic agent (p<.05); and between elderly patients and a lower amount of anesthetic reinforcement (p<.05).

Conclusions

Based on these preliminary results, we can conclude that no statistical significance difference was found between the amount of anesthesia used and the anesthetic technique or the anxiety. A relationship was found between hemostasis of the bony crypt and the quantity of anesthesia used; and between younger patients and a greater amount of anesthetic reinforcement.

Key words:Anesthesia, anxiety, endodontic surgery, hemostasis, hemostatic agents,periradicular surgery.

Cardiovascular Comparison of 2 Types of Local Anesthesia With Vasoconstrictor in Older Adults: A Crossover Study

We assessed the effect of 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 adrenaline (L + AD) and 3% prilocaine with 0.03 IU/mL felypressin (P + FP) on blood pressure and heart rate in older adults with systemic diseases undergoing dental extraction. This double-blind, randomized crossover study included 22 elderly participants, aged over 65 years. The participants were administered L + AD for one dental extraction and P + FP for the other. Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded immediately, 5, and 10 minutes after local anesthetic administration and the data were analyzed. The systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the P + FP group increased at all measurement points (p < .001). In the L + AD group, the diastolic blood pressure decreased at 5 and 10 minutes after local anesthetic administration (p < .05), whereas the heart rate increased at all measured time points (p < .001). There were statistically significant differences in systolic blood pressure at 5 and 10 minutes after local anesthetic administration and in diastolic blood pressure and heart rate at all time points between the 2 groups. In older adults, P + FP administration increased the systolic and diastolic blood pressures. L + AD administration increased the heart rate and decreased the diastolic blood pressure.

Cardiovascular effect of epinephrine in endodontic microsurgery: a review

Epinephrine is one of the most widely-used vasoconstrictors in dental treatment including endodontic microsurgery. However, the systemic safety of epinephrine has been in debate for many years because of its potential risk to cause cardiovascular complications. The purpose of this review was to assess the cardiovascular effect of epinephrine use in endodontic microsurgery. Endodontic microsurgery directly applies epinephrine into the bone cavity, and the amount is reported to be much larger than other dental surgeries. Moreover, when considering that systemic potency of intraosseous application is reported to be comparable to intravenous application, the systemic influence of epinephrine could be increased in endodontic microsurgery. Besides, pre-existing cardiovascular complications or drug interactions can enhance its systemic influence, resulting in increased susceptibility to cardiovascular complications. Although clinical studies have not reported significant complications for patients without severe systemic complications, many epinephrine-induced emergency cases are warning the cardiovascular risk related with pre-existing systemic disease or drug interactions. Epinephrine is a dose-sensitive drug, and its hypersensitivity reaction can be fatal to patients when it is related to cardiovascular complications. Therefore, clinicians should recognize the risk, and the usage of pre-operative patient evaluation, dose control and patient monitoring are required to ensure patient's safety during endodontic microsurgery.

Cardiovascular Effects and Efficacy of a Hemostatic Agent in Periradicular Surgery

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hemostatic efficacy and systemic cardiovascular effects of CollaCote collagen sponges saturated with 2.25% racemic epinephrine during endodontic surgery. A total of 48 patients participated in the study. Patients received CollaCote-saline or CollaCote-epinephrine placed in the bony crypt, after which hemostatic efficacy was evaluated. Blood pressure and pulse rate was recorded before and after administration of the local anesthetic, after the application of the test solutions, and before the patient's dismissal. Results showed no significant difference in blood pressure or pulse rate between the experimental and control groups. In the CollaCote-saline group, five of six cases failed to achieve hemorrhage control. In the CollaCote-epinephrine group, 1 of 42 cases had no hemorrhage control. Two patients had slight but apparent intermittent bleeding. Complete hemostasis was achieved in 39 of 42 cases. In conclusion, the results suggest that CollaCote collagen sponges saturated with 2.25% racemic epinephrine provide excellent hemostasis with no evident changes in blood pressure or pulse rate.

Haemostasis in periradicular surgery

The successful performance of endodontic surgical procedures is predicated on many factors. However, the ability of achieve sustained tissue haemostasis in the surgical site is crucial to the performance of these procedures. This achievement improves vision in the surgical site, minimizes surgical time, enhances the surgical procedures (root-end resection, preparation and filling), and reduces surgical blood loss, postsurgical haemorrhage and postsurgical swelling. A multitude of materials have used in dentistry and medicine to achieve both generalized and localized haemostasis, many without full assessment of their biological implications. The purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough and critical review of these materials from the perspective of surgical endodontics, highlighting their development, application and potential role in achieving proper haemostasis.